Method of manufacturing storage-battery plates



May Z4,A 1927. 1,629,636

w. J. PLEws METHOD 0F MANUFACTURING STORAGE BATTERY PLATES Filed Nov. 24 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 24, 1927. 1,629,636'

W. J. PLEW'S METHOD 0F MANUFACTURING STORAGE BATTERY PLATES med Nov. 24. 1919 2 sheets-snee: 2

[EIS

gmx/htm l lPatented May 24, 1927.v f p UNITED STATES 'PATENT '(FFICI..V`

' WILLIAM lJ. TEEws, lor' CLEVELAND, oHI'o, AssIeNoIaDY DIEECT AND IIEsNE AssIGNMENTs, To rLEws a EUTCIIINsoN coEEoEATIoN, or JEEsEY CITY, NEW JEE- sEY, A CoEroEATIoN or NEW JEEsEY. l f

METHOD F MAIIFACTURING STORAGE-BATTERY PLATES. vApplication led November 24, 1919. Serial No. 340,386.

The invention relates to manufacture of brought into contact therewith. Thus, in 55 storage battery plates and it is the primary operation, the metal is continuously fed to object of the invention to facilitate the quanthe die casting ,machine yand the molded. tity production of said plates. In the presgrids are continuously delivered from the ent state of the art the plates are formed by dies, as indicated at D. Before disengagfirst Ycasting the grids or\ cellular metallic ingfrom the dies the grids are engaged by G0 plates, and subsequently filling the cells of feed rolls E, which continue to advance the the grids with the active material. This fillsame through the filling device G from ving is usually performed manually and after which they are delivered to a carrier H for l" the grids are filled, they must be dried and transferring the same-to the drying oven I.

subjected to other operations incident to pre- More ir. detail, the die casting apparatus "5 paring the same for use in the battery. is preferably constructed as shown in Fig- With the present invention the process is ures 2 and 3, in which J is a suitable frame sim lied and expedited by a series of coon which the rotary dies A and A are ordinated operations through which the mounted.' These dies are preferably in the lates are successively cast, filled, dried and form of hollow cylinders with inlet and outdelivered. The several steps are so timed let passages Kand K passing through the that each operation is completed during the journals thereof and servin'gvfor the circulacontinuous advancement of the plate and tion of a fluid medium that maintains the withoutinterference from either preceding dies at the proper temperature. The heaters or succeeding plates. The invention there- C and C', as shown, are electrical heating fore comprises; first, the novel process of units having resistor members C2 in which forming the plates, and second, the `appathe heat is generated, and downwardly-exratus by which this process is carried out. tending heat conducting members C3 which In the drawings: A extend into the V-shaped pocket formed be- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrattween the rotary dies A and A. The heat S0 ing the complete process of forming the conducted into the pocket is sufficient to plates; melt the metallic bar B as rapidly as the Figure 2 is a side elevation and Figure 3 metal is used in forming the grids. an end elevation of the l apparatus for cast- Below the rolls A and A there 1s mounted ing theigrids and filling the same with acupon the same frame J the feed rolls E, tive material; which are arranged in pairs to engage the Figures 4 and 5 are respectively a horiopposite edge portions of the grid. The Zontal section and an end elevation through rolls E are driven through suitable timed the drying apparatus. mechanism, such as the gear train M, so as The usual practice in casting the grids is to advance the grids at the same speed that oo to form the same in separate molds, the they are delivered from the dies A and A molten metal being fed into the mold cavity and the-grids so advanced are fed between through suitable sprues. After the casting, uides and throu h the filling device G the grid must be4 trimmed to remove the he latter is pre erably in the form of a sprues or gates before it is ready for filling heart-shaped chamber into which the active with the active material. With my improvematerial paste is forced under pressure ment the grids are die cast and are succesthrou h the s upplyconduit N and as fast as sively produced from the molten metal by the cls of the grid enter the chamber, they the operation of continuously rotating cowillbe filled with the paste. There are also operating dies which deliver the cast plate preferably provided wipers O which scrape; to the filling ap aratus. Thus, as shown in oi the surplus paste and smooth the surface Figure 1, A an A are cooperating rotary thereof, said wipers being yield-ably pressed dies. B is a bar or strip of the metal from against the oposite sides o the plate by the which the rids are to be cast, which is consprings P;

tinuously fed into roximity to said dies, After the plates are delivered from the and C and AC are lieaters for vmelting the filling device, they are dropped into a rack in metal slightly in advance of the rotary dies, the carrier H, which carrier is preferably so that it may be properly fashioned when advanced by a step-by-step movement so as -v feet. Thus, if the plates penetrabletb the electrolyte. Such a result would follow a quick drying operation in a heated oven, while on the other hand, vslow drying would consume so much time that it would be diflicult to keep up to the rate of casting and filling. I have avoided both ob- Jections by subjecting the moist plates to the action of steam under pressure, preferably superheated. After a short exposure, the pressure is relieved, whereupon the moisture is eliminated, leaving the material in a porous condition.

The apparatus for eHecting the drying is shown in detail in Figures 4 and 5, in which Q is a.cylinder mounted on the frame R having the counter-weight S for balancing the same. T is a frame pivoted on the frame R, and U are heads for closing the ends of the cylinder Q, which are secured-to screwthreaded rods V engaging correspondingly threaded bearings in the frame T. The arrangement is such that by .swinging the frame T into one position, it will clear the heads U from the cylinder and permit of the introduction of the plates to be dried.` while the swinging-of said frame in the opposite direction will bring the heads into registration with the cylinder, may be clamped by cylinder Q is preferably provided witli a jacket Q surrounding the same, into which exhaust steam is introduced for maintaining any desired temperature, while Within the central chamber of the casing live steam is introduced and at a pressure and humidit such as to produce the. desired.dryinge are exposed to the steam atmosphere at only a comparatively short interval and then relieved of ressure, the moisture will be dissipated and t e material left in a porous condition.

What I clann as my invention is:

whereupon said heads the screws V. The

1. The method of producing storage battery plates, comprising the successive casting andv advancement of the grids in continuous series, filling the grids with active material during advancement, subjecting the filled plates immediately and before they have had time to dry to a heated atmosphere under pressure, and subsequently relieving the pressure to effect drying of the active material in a orous condition.

2. The method of pro ucing storage battery plates, comprising the successive casting and advancement of thegrids in continuous series, passing the advancing grids incontact with with a plastic active materiaLintrOducing the filled plates immediately and without preliminary drying into a closed container,

4subjecting the plates while in said container to an atmosphere of increased pressure and temperature,

and finally relieving the presmeans for filling the cells.

(itl

sure to effect drying while leaving the active material in a porous condition.

3. The method of forming filled grids `for storage batteries, comprising a progressive melting and die casting ofthe metal, the

yadvancement; of the cast grids in continuous series, andthe immediate subjecting the advancing grids to plastic active material under pressure for filling the cells of the grids.

4. The method of producing storage battery plates comprising the die-casting of grids in continuous series, filling said grids successively and immediately after the cdml' pletion of the die-casting operation, and subjecting the freshly filledgrids to a drying operation yunder super-atmos heric pressure and high temperature immediately after the completion of the filling operation.

5. The method of forming Vplates for storage batteries comprising progressive castin of separate grids in series, feeding suchv gri s continuous?7 from the casting apparatus to a filling evice, applying paste to said grids, and subjecting said pasted grids immediately to a drying operation, whereby Acompleted grids are formed in series continuousl rIiiI testimony whereof I aix m si ature.v WILLIAM J. il'JLlgelnWS. 

